Wilmington officials OK building height request

Published: Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 7:46 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 7:46 p.m.

The developer with plans to build three buildings on the site of the former Babies Hospital now has approval to increase the height of one of the structures.

On Tuesday, the Wilmington City Council approved a request by Bailey & Associates of Jacksonville to increase the height of a building to 50 feet from 45 feet.

The council’s unanimous decision follows the city Planning Commission’s December recommendation to allow the developers to build higher.

Plans for the development, known as The Sidbury, show three buildings on the 4.5-acre site in the 7200 block of Wrightsville Avenue. Bailey already had permission to construct three, four-story buildings with a maximum height of 45 feet. Those previously approved plans called for 102 residential units, 15,750 square feet of commercial space and 13,200 square feet of office space.

In the latest application, the developer said the additional height “will enhance the project by greatly improving the interior space while avoiding low ceiling heights in the building.” The taller of the three buildings would go at the corner of Wrightsville Avenue and Canal Drive. The modification also eliminates the approved 13,200 square feet of office space and allows the density to be increased to 110 units.

Matthew Nichols, an attorney representing the developer, told the council the request had received a letter of support from neighbors. He also said the elimination of the office space will reduce the traffic the development will generate. A real estate appraiser said the raise in height would not substantially injure property values of surrounding properties. Other than representatives from the developers, no one spoke at the public hearing.

The land is zoned as office and institutional. By right, developers can build up to 45 feet in that district – though, through the special-use permit process a developer could request to build as high as 75 feet. In January 2012, the council denied an earlier request to allow a 60-foot structure on the property.

For 50 years, children seeking medical care went to the Babies Hospital. After the original wooden building burned in 1928, a three-story building in the Spanish Colonial Revival style replaced it.

Even after the hospital closed in 1978, the three-story building near the Intracoastal Waterway survived and was converted to office space. But by the early 2000s, developers were fighting historic preservationists in a bid to demolish the aging structure to build stores, offices and condos. Eventually, the developers prevailed, and the hospital came tumbling down.

<p>The developer with plans to build three buildings on the site of the former Babies Hospital now has approval to increase the height of one of the structures.</p><p>On Tuesday, the Wilmington City Council approved a request by Bailey & Associates of Jacksonville to increase the height of a building to 50 feet from 45 feet.</p><p>The council's unanimous decision follows the city Planning Commission's December recommendation to allow the developers to build higher. </p><p>Plans for the development, known as The Sidbury, show three buildings on the 4.5-acre site in the 7200 block of Wrightsville Avenue. Bailey already had permission to construct three, four-story buildings with a maximum height of 45 feet. Those previously approved plans called for 102 residential units, 15,750 square feet of commercial space and 13,200 square feet of office space.</p><p>In the latest application, the developer said the additional height “will enhance the project by greatly improving the interior space while avoiding low ceiling heights in the building.” The taller of the three buildings would go at the corner of Wrightsville Avenue and Canal Drive. The modification also eliminates the approved 13,200 square feet of office space and allows the density to be increased to 110 units.</p><p>Matthew Nichols, an attorney representing the developer, told the council the request had received a letter of support from neighbors. He also said the elimination of the office space will reduce the traffic the development will generate. A real estate appraiser said the raise in height would not substantially injure property values of surrounding properties. Other than representatives from the developers, no one spoke at the public hearing.</p><p>The land is zoned as office and institutional. By right, developers can build up to 45 feet in that district – though, through the special-use permit process a developer could request to build as high as 75 feet. In January 2012, the council denied an earlier request to allow a 60-foot structure on the property. </p><p>For 50 years, children seeking medical care went to the Babies Hospital. After the original wooden building burned in 1928, a three-story building in the Spanish Colonial Revival style replaced it.</p><p>Even after the hospital closed in 1978, the three-story building near the Intracoastal Waterway survived and was converted to office space. But by the early 2000s, developers were fighting historic preservationists in a bid to demolish the aging structure to build stores, offices and condos. Eventually, the developers prevailed, and the hospital came tumbling down.</p>